AGAINST ATLANTIS!

An Epic Trilogy of Heroic Adventures for Mazes & Minotaurs

Written by Andrew Trent
First publishe
ed in issues 2-4 of the Minotaur webzine

The Wisdom of Stones p2

Black Chains of the Earth p 10

Wrath of the Sea-Witch

Witch p 19

Some illustrations © Clipart.com

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the wisdom of stones
Against Atlantis ! (Part One)

An epic quest for a group of valiant low-level

low adventurers by Andrew Trent

Against Atlantis ! The Legend Of Nemede

This adventure is the firstt in a series called Against Maze Master’s Note : The following information is
Atlantis ! Within this series, valiant heroes (yes, this for your eyes only. Players
ayers should not begin the
means the player-characters) will partake in several game knowing anything of the history of Nemede.
adventures culminating in a direct standoff against
the advance guard of an Atlantean invasion force. Far away across the Middle Sea lies the island of
The adventuress in this series will be presented Nemede. Many years ago this once-idyllic
once isle was
serially in the pages of the Minotaur.. home to a thriving community of artisans,
philosophers, poets and dreamers, who contented
This first adventure is suitable for a party of themselves with exploring the mysteries of life from
beginning heroes (level 1 or 2) just setting out to the relative safety of this secluded island. Because
make a name for themselves. It presumes that the the island was so remote - and perhaps because it
player-characters are already united in their quest is encircled by dangerous reefs - the people of
for adventure. Ideally, they already have one or two Nemede kept no standing army. The colony,colon then,
successful play sessions under their belts and are was unprepared for the doom that would befall it.
now looking to increase their legend by serving the But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
gods themselves.
Among the residents of Nemede was the great
This scenario is also based on the assumption that philosopher Thymoetes of Seriphos, whose insights
the player-characters
characters own (or have access to) a and visions still resonate among the great thinkers
ship. If the player-characters
characters are veterans of the of the Age of Heroes. In addition to his great
scenario The Lost Lair of Laodice,
Laodice from the first wisdom, Thymoetes was also a seeker of history
issue of Minotaur Quarterly,, you might want to use and knowledge of mythic items. It was said that
the NPC Barros "One Eye" from that scenario for during his time there was no place on the face of
the various sailing
iling portions associated with one or Mythika that held even the simplest of artifact but
more of the adventures in the Against Atlantis ! that Thymoetes knew off it, and moreover, what
series. Barros could certainly be persuaded to strange beasts or enchantments stood between the
embark on this adventure in exchange for a share of item and those who might seek it.
any treasure that might be found en route.
Regardless of you individuall approach to this Seventy-five
five years ago life on this peaceful island
matter, just be sure you do finally let the player-
player was disrupted by the arrival of a Tragic Floating
characters on a ship. Otherwise this adventure will Head. No one knew how or why this monstrosity
monstrosit
wind up going nowhere. Literally. arrived on Nemede. Little time passed before the

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 against those who would act against her. If they
don't, though, feel free to hit them with this issue of
the Minotaur and remind them that they're playing
Mazes & Minotaurs and not some "What's in it for
me? I'm an angst-ridden creature of darkness / kill-
things-and-take-their-stuff mercenary dungeon
raider" game. Or just have a Titanic Statue crush
them underfoot and start over.

Before he departs, Hermes hands a simple phial to

the hero with the highest Personal Charisma (or
with the strongest link to Athena) and tells him :

"Use this water to soothe the sufferings of

Thymoetes. He will only speak to you once he
has drunk fully of this. You will know him from
the others in Nemede by his resemblance to
twice-lame Hephaestus."

Hermes then tells the heroes that the lord of winds,

Aeolus himself will guide their course to Nemede so
long as no blood is spilled on their journey to the
island. The trip will take 7 days and the heroes
should provision for such an expedition.

Watch out, this is the Hermes Express ! Maze Master's Note : No, Hermes doesn't tell the
heroes that Thymoetes (and the rest of Nemede)
peaceful and defenseless folk of the island fell to the has been turned to stone. Hermes himself does not
strange petrification powers of the foul being. With know this. He is simply delivering the message as
nothing left to destroy on the island, the Tragic requested by Athena. As to why Athena doesn't
Floating Head drifted out to sea and ceased to impart this information, well, she considers this
trouble this now barren earth. mission a test of the worthiness of the heroes. This
complication cannot be overcome, even by the
Nemede as it was is now little more than a sculpture presence of a Lyrist in the party. Knowledge of the
garden. So much knowledge, art and beauty was fate of Nemede is lost to all but the gods. Also see
lost on Nemede that the gods themselves turned What About Divine Vision ? next page.
their backs upon the island in sadness. And where
the gods do not look, evil springs forth. Dark things
crawl about Nemede now, shrouded in the ever- Act I : Voyage to Nemede
present fog that envelops the island. And there, in
the midst of it all, stands the silent stone that used Now that the heroes have received their mission
to know where all great treasures lie. from the gods, they will need to embark for the lost
island of Nemede. As mentioned in the introduction
of this scenario, a ship to traverse the Middle Sea is
Meeting Wind-Swift Hermes of utmost importance. Feel free to take as much or
as little time as you want in allowing your characters
Hermes, the messenger of the gods, appears to you to secure passage, complicating or hand-waving
one radiant afternoon, arriving on a zephyr blown by this process as much as you see fit.
Eurus from the East.

He speaks clearly and directly to all of the heroes,

Setting Sail For Nemede
with special attention paid to any hero whose patron
deity is grey-eyed Athena. Hermes tells the heroes The journey to Nemede is foreboding, with many ill
that a time of great troubles looms over Mythika and omens appearing along the way. The weather is foul
that they have been chosen by the gods themselves throughout the trip and the mood among the sailors
to take part in the defense of the land. of the vessel is sour. Three days into the voyage a
nasty fight suddenly breaks out between two of the
The task assigned to the characters is simple seamen, each accusing the other of cheating at an
enough. Travel to the lost island of Nemede, speak otherwise friendly game of dice.
with the great philosopher Thymoetes and discern
the location of the Sextant of Eryximachos. With The heroes should recall the admonition against
this artifact in their hands, they must return to the spilling of blood delivered by Hermes before the
Temple of Athena in Argos where the priests will be expedition set out and do their best to intervene and
able to use it to locate the source and nature of the return this situation to normal. If they fail to do so,
impending danger.At this point, the heroes (since Aeolus is offended and the ship loses its favorable
they are just that) will undoubtedly want to set forth winds. The loss of these winds is enough to leave
to serve the glory of the gods and to defend Mythika the ship adrift for three full days.

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 overboard, figuring that they will be dinner one on way
or another. Instead, the Harpies focus their attacks
on those who remain on the ship or, perhaps more mo
terrifyingly, on the ship itself. If the heroes defeat the
Harpîes,, they will be able to pilot the ship safely the
rest of the way to the forbidding shores of Nemede.

Act II : In Search of Thymoetes

After landing their ship on the beach of Nemede, the
heroes will need to locate Thymoetes. This, of
course, is easier said than done, since every last
human on Nemede was long ago turned to stone by
the Tragic Floating Head. Nevertheless, clever
characters should be able to use the clue provided
by Hermes to identify which of the statues found in
Aeolius in Action
the village used to be the great philosopher.
After that time, Athena will have persuaded Aeolus
to return his favor to the heroes and the journey
may continue as planned. What About Divine Vision ?

Maze Master's Note : If the e adventurers failed to If there is a Priest in the party, he might have
provision for more than a two-week week journey, this the idea to use his Divine Vision prodigy (see
loss of time will result in three days worth of Survival the Players Manual,, p 30) to learn more about
rolls (Players Manual, p. 46) on the trek to Argos the location of the Sextant.
that will follow the travel to Nemede.
Since the will and whims of the gods are entirely
into the hands of the Maze Master, such a
Arriving At Nemede divination should lead to different results,
depending on when or why it takes place. Here
Nemede is shrouded
ded in a dense fog and is ringed by are a few suggestions on how to handle
han this
reefs, making the approach to this blighted island a situation so that it contributes to the fun and
treacherous one indeed. excitement of the adventure, as opposed to
compromising the very raison d’être of the
If one of the adventurerss is a Mariner (see the first adventurers’ quest.
issue of Minotaur Quarterly for more on this
specialist class),, then he should be allowed
allo to make If the character uses his Divine Vision power at
Danger Evasion roll (modified by his h Seamanship the start of the scenario, in order to learn
lear the
bonus) to navigate their
heir craft safely to the shore. location of the Sextant without having to sail to
Nemede, then the Vision will only show hazy
If such a roll fails or if no Mariner is among the images of the shores of Nemede, with perhaps
heroes, each hero and sailor must make a Danger a few glimpses of the “garden of statues” than
Evasion roll or be tossed overboard as the ship the island has become (but with no explicit clue
suffers damage from the reefs and encounters about the fate of Thymoetes himself or about
unexpectedly rough waters. Heroes and sailors who the fact that these stone statues are actually the
meet this fate have a special surprise in store for petrified inhabitants of Nemede). In other
them as noted below. Characters who succeed at words, the Vision will not show the location of
this roll remain aboard the ship safely and may help the Sextant (that's what you get for thinking you
their water-bound
bound compatriots as noted below. smarter than the Gods) and the characters
cha will
still have to go to Nemede – but the Vision will
not have been completely wasted, since it gave
Trouble In The Water an extra clue (the stone statues).

Heroes and sailors who fail the Danger Evasion roll Alternatively, the Maze Master may prefer to
called for above find themselves in the waters actually show the location of the Sextant (the
between the coral reefs and Nemede's fog- fog Mines of Iana) but without any indication of
shrouded shore. The sea here is rough, and where this site might be : the Vision will simply
characters must succeed at a Swimming roll reveal that the Sextant is probably in “some
(Players Manual,, p. 44) or suffer the consequences dark cave, somewhere…” This will also be the
of drowning and an additional die of damage due to case if the heroes resort to Divine Vision to
being raked against the reefs. learn the location of the Sextant after (and (a
because) they failed to revive Thymoetes, in
To make matters worse, a flock of Harpies (see the which case the Divine Vision will certainly be
Creature Compendium,, p.54) roost nearby
ne and followed by an impromptu visit from an ironic
know a tasty meal when they spy one. These foul Hermes or an ice-cold
cold Athena (see But What if
monsters care little for any who have fallen the Heroes Get it Wrong ? next page).

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The Silence Of The Fog
Nemede is a fog-shrouded
shrouded and barren place.

The beach that the heroes have landed on stretches

far in each direction, vanishing into the dense fog
well before any end or variation can be seen.

Much should be made of the sepulchral silence of

the island. No sea birds' cries, no winds, no sounds
of life are heard at all. Even the water lapping at the
shore is strangely silent. Note, though, that nothing
mystical prevents sound here. Characters may still
converse, swords still ring against shield when
combat occurs, and so forth. But the utter lack of
day-to-day
day sounds should, again, be played up.

A Road, And Worse

Once the heroes have satisfied themselves that the
beach is of no further use than a place to land a
ship, they should head inland to look
ok for Thymoetes.

Not long after leaving the shore they stumble upon a

weathered cobblestone road, in ill-repair
ill and
overgrown in places with weeds and lichen. A sinister Stichios

Following this road will lead the heroes directly to Arrival At The Village
the village that lies at the heart of Nemede.
Assuming that the heroes have survived their
The road rises slightly as it leads inland, its stones
encounter with
h the Stichios they are free to continue
are occasionally slick from mosses and the
down the road to the village.
dampness of the ever-present fog.
The trip requires at least another 30 minutes on
From time to time someone might stumble as the
foot, with the fog having closed back in to previous
heroes walk along the path. No significant combat claustrophobic levels. From time to time there is a
penalties should stem from
om this. Once again, it's the
slight breeze that rustles the trees shrouded in the
atmosphere that matters. Maze Masters should
fog, which should be good for plucking at the
mention how the fog remains dense about the road,
heroes' nerves. However, no monsters are lurking.
making it very hard to see more than a foot or so At least not here.
beyond its edge.
After the half-hour
hour of walking the fog once again
After fifteen minutes or so of gentle climbing, the thins a bit, enough for the heroes to make out some
road levels out and turns slightly to the east. low buildings,
ngs, fences and other structures close at
hand. If the characters investigate the buildings they
The fog here thins slightly, though visibility remains quickly discover that all of the inhabitants have, in
limited, at last the heroes can see some semblance fact, been turned to stone. Women at their washing,
of life about them. Low and twisted trees line the children at play, a group of men standing around in
road, which continues on into the distance. discussion. All are statues!
As the characters progress further they become These houses and other buildings hold little of
aware of the sound of a light wind rustling the value, long rotten foodstuffs and moldered textiles
branches of the trees about them. seem to be their primary contents. A few rusted
weaponss may be found in spots as well – but there
At times these sounds appear to resemble whispers is nothing for the looting-minded
minded to loot here.
of madness and despair. Consider passing a few
notes to different players telling them
the specific Traveling further down the road the heroes soon
phrases that they hear. Pump up the paranoia. find themselves within the heart of the village. As
before, the complete lack of normal sounds should
These strange sounds, it turns out, are the Vocal be impressed upon the party. There is no hubbub
Entrancement ability of a trio of Stichios (see the of civilization, no barking of dogs,
dog no cries of delight
Creature Compendium, p.109). or sorrow, no sounds of a jealous wife hectoring her
husband. Instead, there is simply the silence of the
These possessed trees are clustered about the road grave. And everywhere, people turned to stone.
at this pointt and will do their best to draw the heroes Unlike the peaceful scenes at the farm, though,
into their vampiric branches. Clearly, the heroes will these statues all show terror on their faces and
strive to avoid this fate. Let there be combat ! appear to have been fleeing from something.

5
 If asked about the petrified condition of his village,
Thymoetes relates the fate off Nemede as outlined in
the introduction, as far as the point where the village
was attacked by the Tragic Floating Head, which he
should describe but not name.

When asked about the Sextant of Eryximachos, the

revived sage drifts into a reverie, muttering softly to
himself, his eyes glazed over and his words all but
inaudible. In a moment his focus returns and he tells
the heroes of the island of Iana, whose twisting
mines are guarded by a cyclops whose flocks are
made of gold. The legends, Thymoetes continues,
say that Eryximachos followed his Sextant
S to these
shores for unknown purposes, but that he was
never heard from again. Therefore the Sextant must
reside on the island of Iana, which lies thrice-nine
thrice
days west of Argos… With that, Thymoetes stiffens,
and begins to return to stone. He struggles briefly,
but then relaxes, resigned to his
h fate.

The great Thymoetes, with one of his two canes In addition to gaining the information they sought,
for correctly choosing Thymoetes, each hero should
receive a temporary Divine Boon (see ( the M&M
The Stone Speaks Companion,, p.8) from Athena. It is up to the
individual Maze Master to determine theth form that
At this point, the heroes will likely realize the puzzle-
puzzle each
ch particular hero's boon takes, though it is
like nature of the situation before them. They need advised that these be items of a defensive nature.
to identify Thymoetes
hymoetes out of the fifty-odd
fifty possible
adult male statues that occupy the village.
What If The Heroes Get It Wrong ?
Now iss a good time to point out that there is only
the single village and that if the heroes decided to Adventurers who misunderstood Hermes’ clue
explore the island further they find no other signs of may well choose the wrong statue to revive. Maze
human settlement.
ement. They may, however, stumble Masters who wish to avoid such
suc a risk may rule
upon the Scorpion Folk who now occupy the island. that any character with a Wits score of 13+ is
See A Final Battle below. clever enough to interpret Hermes’ clue correctly.
If such an unfortunate mistake does happen, the
In the end, the process is simple as there is only Maze Master has two choices. Either the elixir has
one statue of a man who carries two canes, and no effect, for Athena's will was that this
th draught
thus is "twice-lame"
lame" like Hephaestus. He lies in the affect Thymoetes and no other,other or the wrong
middle of the town square, starting in horror, mouth person does come back to life; in this case, feel
agape, his walking sticks held out in both hands as free to act out their terror
terro and confusion at
if to shield himself from something that approached awakening. As with Thymoetes, the restored
from the south. person will only remain animate for a short while
and will return
urn to stone despite the best efforts of
All of that aside, there are other candidates who the anyone involved. The wrongly-animated
wrongly individual
heroes might choose, including the blacksmith (who
( might share the legend of Nemede with the
was named Nikandros) who stands astride the heroes, giving them something for their troubles.
town's central well, in the midst of swinging his
Obviously, using the elixir on the wrong statue
hammer at whatever horror laid waste to his home.
eliminates the possibility
ty of the characters
Another possibility is the epically ugly gentleman determining the location of the Sextant of
(who was named Prytanis) found d cowering behind Eryximachos. In such a case, Maze Masters might
the same well that the blacksmith was defending. decide to put things back on track with a little
impromptu divine intervention. Hermes could
Once a choice hasas been made, let the heroes pour arrive, taunt the heroes a bit about their stupid
the draught given them by Hermes into the mouth of blunder
lunder and then tell them the location of Iana
the chosen statue (they all have open mouths, due before sending them on their way. Or perhaps
to various forms of screaming). Only the complete even Athena herself appears to the characters, in
contents of the phial will do, so the choice must be her cold, brisk anger to put her “ill-chosen
“ill
made fully. champions” back on the right track.
In any case, the party should
d still learn where they
If the heroes correctly chose Thymoetes, he slowly
are expect to venture next. Under no
transforms back into flesh and blood, for just a brief circumstances, however, should a party that
moment his body convulses with terror, as though selects the wrong statue receive the temporary
awakening from a nightmare,
tmare, but he quickly realizes Divine Boon mentioned above.
that whatever fate befell him has long since passed.

6
A Final Battle
As Thymoetes (or Nikandros or Prytanis) returns to
stone, the heroes' attention is drawn to skittering
creeping sounds coming from the fog.

Each hero should be allowed a Perception roll (see

the Players Manual, p. 45) to be able to to spot the
Scorpion Folk who are approaching from the fog.

This group of Scorpion Folk are a scouting party

sent out from the larger enclave of such beasts that
now occupies the far shore of Nemede.

There should be as many creatures as there are

adventurers in the group.

The creatures are delighted to find fresh flesh here

in the village, having visited only once before and
being disappointed at its inedible stone residents.

The Scorpion Folk will fight a pitched battle, but will

retreat if the tide turns against them.

If the heroes choose to pursue any retreating

monsters, they will eventually find the Scorpion
Folks' encampment, where another group of twice
as many fell beasts will happily descend upon them Approaching the Mysterious Island of Iana
in the hopes of a tasty meal.

Return To The Sea

Act III : The Mines of Iana
The heroes, provisioned, healed and ready to go,
Armed now with the answer they were sent to must now set sail for the lost island of Iana.
secure, the heroes may return to their vessel and
set sail for Iana to secure the Sextant of The voyage, though long, is largely uneventful…
Eryximachos. A stop at Argos to resupply and visit unless of course the Maze Master wishes to spice
with the priests at the Temple of Athena is certainly up things with a few chance encounters en route,
advisable. In addition to healing the party, the such as some Mermaids or Tritons, a ferocious Sea
priests provide a lodestone compass to help the Monster or two, a flock of Sirens or even a whole
heroes find their way to Iana. Mysterious Island to explore.
The Maze Master is free to handle this trip to Argos As far as the heroes’ current quest is concerned, the
as he sees fit. The adventure can be drawn out as only incident of note occurs on the fourteenth day,
long as desired with one or more random when black sails are spotted on the northern
Mysterious Islands, Temples, City-States and horizon, sailing westward, in the same general
Adventures (Maze Masters Guide, p. 28-35) or the direction as the heroes. It is obvious to all involved,
heroes may simply be hand-waved back to Argos. though, that these ships (three, it seems, though
they are far too distant to count or identify) are not
Further details on Argos, some of which may inspire headed to the same destination as the heroes.
the Maze Master with ideas for side quests or
additional adventures, can be found in this issue’s
Mythika Gazetteer. Arrival at Iana
After the nearly month-long journey into the furthest
Deceit & Betrayal reaches of the Middle Sea, the adventurers at last
lay eyes upon fabled Iana. Its high cliff walls loom
While in Argos, the adventurers should prepare of a forbiddingly, foreboding the danger that waits within.
lengthy journey, laying in supplies and replacing any
lost crewmen. Among the new sailors taken aboard It takes the ship and its crew the better part of a day
is Aeson, an amoral fellow currently working as a to circumnavigate the coast of Iana in search of a
spy for the forces of Atlantis. Aeson is exclusively reasonable place to land.
tasked with reconnaissance, and will do nothing to
harm or hinder the heroes at this stage. He will work In time, though, a small pathway that winds from a
hard, fight bravely, and do all that is required to earn ledge at sea-level up to the high cliffs is spotted.
the heroes' trust. Later, he will show his true colors. Once anchored, our brave heroes may begin their
But for now, he is the heroes' best friend… ascent in search of the Sextant of Eryximachos…

7
Climbing The Cliffs large pond nearer the center of the island. And
everywhere the eye can see are beautiful golden
Ancient inhabitants of Iana constructed the narrow sheep, at rest and at play. This tableau of harmony
path that leads from the sea to the inner reaches of is guarded by the tireless mechanical eye of a
the island, and they did so with an eye towards Golden Ram (see the Creature Compendium,
Compendium p 51).
defending their island. With this goal in mind,
mind they This strange creature was constructed to defend its
included several traps (see the M&M Companion,
Companion p territory against all interlopers, and as soon as it
29-30)
30) to weaken or defeat any who would attempt spots the heroes it will attack without mercy.
to gain access to Iana. There are three such traps
Upon defeating the Golden Ram, the heroes are
along the route to the top of the cliffs, each of these
free to explore
xplore the plateau. Before long they will
is detailed below, in the order encountered.
find the entrance to the mines where, it would seem,
the Sextant likely resides.
Trap #1 (Falling & Entrapment)

The ledge at this point has been artificially Into The Mines
weakened, and an unwary climber can easilyeas fall
through. The first character to encounter this trap The entrance to the mines is a cave opening in the
will suffer 1d6 Hits of damage from falling 15 feet landward side of one of the high cliff walls of Iana.
onto a precipice below. Without a rope or other help This passage
ssage is rough, but spacious, allowing two
from the other heroes, the unfortunate victim of this men to travel abreast with plenty of elbow room.
trap will be stuck on the outcropping.
ing. The only way The long and winding trek eventually leads to a T-
out is to jump into the rocky sea below. Doing so intersection. To the left can be heard the ringing of
results in an additional 2d6 Hits of damage and hammer on anvil, to the right gentle singing.
leaves the victim subject to drowning (Players
(
Manual,, p 44) and other aquatic hazards at the Maze Master’s Note : The layout of the Mines is so
Maze Master's discretion. simple that no map is necessary…but nothing prevent
you from using a typical “cavern adventure map” and
“beefing up” this part of the quest into a fully-fledged
fully
Trap #2 (Crushing) scenario of its own, with more traps, more mythic
treasure
re and, of course, an appropriate selection of
A number of boulders are precariously balanced Monsters and Animates.
above the path at this point. A lever worked into the
natural hand-hold
hold for crossing this spot triggers the
boulders to fall directly onto the second person in The Treasure Trove Of Gyras
line. That unlucky soul suffers 2d6 Hits and must
make a Danger Evasion roll (Players
Players Manual,
Manual p. 44) This room is the quarters of Gyras, a Lesser
to avoid being knocked from the ledge into the sea Cyclops (see Creature Compendium,
Compendium p 31) who is
below. A hero who is knocked into the sea suffers the last resident of Iana. Here Gyras eats, sleeps
an additional 2d6 Hits and, as with trap #1, is and lives, surrounded by extraordinary items.
items
subject to drowning and other aquatic hazards.
The room is filled with various trinkets, automata
Trap #3 (Direct Damage & Poison) and other items, including three Singing Keledons
(Creature Compendium,, p 104) who serve as
A poison-tipped
tipped javelin shoots from a crevasse in guards when Gyras is at work. Gyras is busy in his
the cliff, doing 1d6 Hits to the lead climber. The forge at the time that the heroes visit this room.
victim of this trap must immediately make a Physical
The Singing Keledons do not attack the heroes so
Vigor save against a target number of 12 (the
long as nothing in the room is disturbed. If the
venom has weakened overr time). Success means
heroes enter combat with the Singing Keledons,
that the target is able to shake off the effects of the
Gyras will enter the room after the third round of
venom. Failure results in complete paralysis for 1d6
combat, ready to make pulp out
ou of any intruders.
minutes. A paralyzed victim must also make a
Danger Evasion roll one per minute (unless secured
by his or her compatriots) to avoid falling from the
ledge. Falling from the ledge results in (you guessed
it…)) 2d6 Hits and a shot at aquatic hazards.

The Golden Flocks of Iana

Once the heroes have scaled the high cliff walls of
Iana, they are able to see what makes this island so
worth defending. Spread out before their eyes is a
scene of bucolic wonderment of the likes normally
only heard of in the poetry of the Age of Magic. Tall
trees hanging under the weight of succulent fruit,
green lawns of perfect whispering grasses, crystal
cr
clear streams babbling as they run their course to a
The Cyclops Gyras, Crafter of Wondrous Items

8
Important note : The Sextant of Eryximachos is not Once the heroes return the Sextant, the priests of
among the items found in this room. It is in the Athena will require more than a little time to use it to
possession of Gyras, who wears it as a pendant. divine the nature of the threat to Mythika… The next
part of Against Atlantis! will be published in our next
issue and will begin with the priests summoning
The Forge Of Gyras forth our heroes to send them into the fray once
again. In the mean time, don't hesitate to send your
In this room, the Cyclops Gyras works, crafting
heroes forth on additional adventures. Ideally, you
wondrous items for the amusement of his master,
should allow them to reach level 3 in the process,
Hephaestus. Gyras is a curious sort, more
giving them a better chance to face the perils that
interested in his toys than he is in just about
await them… And consider throwing in some
anything. However, Gyras does not take kindly to
Atlantean presence - even if just off-screen - to
anyone intruding upon his domain and he will
further set the stage for the incoming storm…
happily use his very large hammer against any
intruders. Doubly so if they have done any harm to
his prized Singing Keledons.
The Sextant of Eryximachos
When entering this room, all heroes should make
Perception rolls (Players Manual, p 45) to notice the The Sextant of Eryximachos is a Unique Artifact
well-crafted silver sextant that hangs on a fine chain and the proverbial “Mc Guffin” of this adventure.
about Gyras' neck. This is, indeed, the Sextant of Maze Masters can remain as mysteriously vague
Eryximachos. A well-played oration might convince as they wish about its wondrous powers or drop
Gyras to part with the Sextant in exchange for the the players a few hints through Thymoetes or the
Argosean Priestesses of Athena to whom the
lodestone compass that the priests of Athena gave
heroes are supposed to deliver the item in the end.
the party back in Argos. Otherwise, expect combat.
The Sextant is a relic from the Age of Magic. Its
The Sextant In Hand purpose is to assist in the act of divination by
allowing the diviner to "navigate" the stars that
Whether by guile or by force, the heroes should now affect the future, thereby more effectively charting
the waters of time. In the hands of a Priestess of
be in possession of the Sextant of Eryximachos.
Athena, the Sextant improves the clarity and scope
With this item in hand, a return to Argos is in order. of a Divine Vision. The exact nature of this
As with the return from Nemede, the Maze Master is improvement is left to the Maze Master and should
welcome to complicate this trip to taste. be treated on a case-by-case basis.

9
black chains of the earth
Against Atlantis ! (Part Two)

A perilous adventure for a group of valiant adventurers (level 2-3)

2 3) by Andrew Trent

If your players are veterans of the adventure The

Lost Lair of Laodice from Minotaur Quarterly 1 you
might want to use Barros "One Eye" (the ship’s
captain from that adventure) for the various sailing
sa
portions associated with one or more of the
adventures in the Against Atlantis! series.
Otherwise, any approach you wish to take to
providing your players with a method of sea travel
will work just fine.

The information given below is for your eyes only.

Players do not necessarily know the following,
though they may be aware of some of it if they
completed AA1: The Wisdom of Stones. Stones Maze
Masters should feel free to have as much or as little
time as desired pass between the events of AA1
and the beginning
nning of this adventure. The priests of
Athena, wise though they may be, are only as fast
at divination as you need them to be.

In all cases Maze Masters should complicate or

handwave situations as fits their group's needs and
play times. Wherever you see s an opportunity to
extend or compress the action, take advantage of
the flexibility of the adventure's design to maximize
the fun for you and your players.

The Cult of Prometheus

Aeons ago, before even the Age of Magic, a heresy
of unimaginable proportions
ions blighted the face of
Mythika. A small group of priests, most dedicated to
Zeus himself, set sail for Arcadia in search of
Prometheus, with the goal of freeing him from his
bonds and benefitting from his wisdom. At first,
Zeus and the other gods were mildly amused by the
hubris exhibited by the errant humans. But the
A truly M&M-esque
esque depiction of Prometheus
various priests slowly grew in power, gaining
knowledge and artifacts that were not intended for
Maze Master’s Introduction mortals, and the gods began to become wary.

This adventure is the second in a series known as Though they failed to find Prometheus himself,himsel
Against Atlantis! Within this series noble heroes will these heretics still held the bringer of fire as their
partake in several adventures culminating in a direct source of inspiration and eventually established the
standoff against the advance guard of an Atlantean Cult of Prometheus. Atop a high peak in the range
invasion force. The adventures in this series will be of mountains that separates Arcadia from Amazonia
presented serially in the pages of Minotaur
inotaur. they constructed a grand temple, from which they
exalted Prometheus above even Zeus.
This adventure is suitable for a party of heroes of
level 2-3 and presumes that your players are What began as the ultimate attempt to exert the will
already united in their quest for adventure. Though of man over the will of the gods ended in divine
not strictly necessary, it will be helpful if at least wrath, as the father of the gods rained death and
some of the heroes completed AA1, which was destruction upon the heretics. Their temple was
presented in Minotaur n°2 , released in April of 2008. wiped from thee face of the earth and their bodies
were warped and bound with chains like those of he

10
who they sought to venerate. Their women and
children were driven from the mountain and
perished, plummeting to their doom as the bridge
that spanned a great chasm collapsed
lapsed under the
fury of the gods.

In time, all knowledge of the Cult of Prometheus

was wiped from Mthika. Yet something remains
there in the mountains. A faint flickering of wisdom
that even the gods could not unmake.

A Consultation Before Dawn The treacherous Aeson

The priests
riests of Athena have gazed into the future
Regardless of whether your heroes are continuing
and foreseen great danger to Mythika. Thanks to
or are starting anew, the Maze Master should
the efforts of brave heroes - perhaps some of them
ensure that an able-bodied
bodied sailor named Aeson is
among your party's number - the lost Sextant of
part of the crew. In game terms, Aeson is a Fighter
Eryximachos was delivered to the House of Athena (see Maze Masters Guide,, p. 25) who loyally serves
in Argos. With this artifact in hand, the priests have
with the heroes. Unfortunately,
Unfortunatel Aeson is actually a
seen more clearly the threat and have sent out the
spy working for Atlantis and travels with the heroes
call for bold adventurers to take the next step in
in an information-gathering
gathering role. Until otherwise
confronting the shadowy foe.
noted, Aeson will not attempt to hinder the heroes in
any way. Instead, he fights nobly beside them and
Trouble rises in the West is quick to action when needed.

Ancient words must be unbound

Act I: Mysterious Arcadia
Find the mountain dispossessed
possessed
Arcadia (see Maze Masters Guide, Guide p. 8) is a valley
With flames and chains will victory sound located between the lands of the Amazons and the
Thanatari Mountains. Few are the heroes who have
With these words the high priestess of Athena ever set foot in Arcadia returned to Mythika. As
informs the gathered heroes of their quest. such, understanding of this mystical place is limited
to rumors and legends. This adventure will not
"You must seek the ruined Temple of Prometheus, attempt to solve the nature of Arcadia, as the author
and from within rescue the chains that punished the considers that mystery best left to each individual
bringer and the infamous fire brought by him. Maze Master. The time your heroes spend in
Those unbreakable bonds will provide defense and Arcadia can be a source of more than one epic
that sacred light will burn within our breast as we adventure in-and-of
of itself, if you should so desire.
defend our land. Ghosts and spirits await you in this
dead place, noble heroes. But only you can perform For this adventure's purposes, only the immediate
this task.
k. Athena will protect and guide you so long northern portion of Arcadia's coast is involved. This
as your hearts are true to Mythika." area is dominated by the foothills that lead north to
the Amazonia mountains ins and should be considered
The priests of Athena are aware of the general devoid of any sign of civilization. A single encounter
nature of the various nemeses that the heroes will within Arcadia itself awaits, and it is with a group of
confront on this adventure, particularly the Arimaspians who have wandered far from their
malevolent spirits that guard the chasm and the normal range. Consider the remainder of Arcadia a
chains. To this end, the House of Athena provides blank page to do withth as you see fit.
the heroes with the Oil of Icelus. This mythic item, a
viscous green oil, allows weapons coated with it to Landing At Arcadia
wound insubstantial creatures for up to 5 combat
rounds. The priests provide 10 complete doses of The voyage to the Arcadian shore can pass as
the magical agent. perilously or uneventfully as the Maze Master
desires. When at last the heroes do reach Arcadia
The heroes are given plenty of time to prepare for the gods themselves make clear the landing site, as
their trek to Arcadia. The priests even provide more two Sea Horses (see Creature
eature Compendium,
Compendium p.
than enough funds to provision their ship for the 100) linger at the shore, seeming to speak with a
lengthy journey to (and return from) the East. single pure white Oracle Owls (see Creature
Compendium, p. 87).
Heroes may also need to recruit additional sailors to
replace any lost crew from AA1 - The Wisdom of Upon being sighted, this conference of divinely
Stones,, or simply to fill out their crew if they are favored beasts separate, the Sea Horses diving
embarking on this adventure without having beneath the waves not to be seen again. The
completed that quest. Oracle Owl takes flight northward into the hills,
calling to the heroes as it flies.

11
 The Chasm & The Bridge
The chasm is haunted by the ghosts of the women
and children who perished here when Zeus rained
his wrath down upon the heretics of Prometheus.

Once a living soul has made it halfway across the

bridge the ghosts will begin to rise from the depth of
the chasm and swirl about the bridge, attacking any
and all who disrupt their restless slumber.

In game terms, these “ghosts” are not classic

Ghosts as described in the Creature Compendium
(p. 44) but gestalt-like, collective Spirits known as
Egregors. For all purposes, the seemingly endless
A surly Arimaspian number of ghosts is really only two entities - one
Egregor combining all the ghosts of the women and
Trouble On The Trail another one combining all the ghosts of the children.
Despite this, the Maze Master is encouraged to
After landing, the heroes must head north towards describe the situation as hundreds or even
the mountains to reach the ruins of the Temple of thousands of ghosts rising, swarming and lashing
Prometheus. Throughout their journey, the Oracle out at the heroes on the bridge.
Owl leads them onward. The Owl never directly
approaches the heroes and will actively flee if
approached. Its mission is to lead the heroes Egregor
through the hills and mountains of Arcadia to the
site of the temple, nothing more. Taxonomy : Spirit
Size : Large
A multiple day trek through the hills is required to
get to the ruins. On the third day the heroes are Ferocity : Aggressive
beset by a band of bloodthirsty Arimaspians (see
the Creature Compendium, p. 8). These ruthless Cunning : Alert
foes descend upon the heroes from the east, riding
Mystique : Eldritch
horses and firing their fearsome bows with all of the
ferocity they are known for. Movement : 90’

The number of Arimaspians involved in this Initiative : 14

encounter should be equal to the number of heroes
Melee Attack : n/a
plus one. Once three quarters of the Arimaspians
have fallen, the rest will begin to retreat to the east. Damage : see below
Let your heroes follow them at their peril, for these
creatures are unlikely the only dangers that await Defense Class : 16
those who fail to follow the guidance of Athena.
Hits Total : 18
After the skirmish, allow each hero in your party to Detection / Evasion : +2
make a detection roll (see Players Manual, p. 45)
realize just how far afield these Arimaspians are Mystic Fortitude : +8
from their normal range.
Special Abilities : Fearsome, Insubstantial,
Life-Energy Drain (touch, 1d6, one attack per
round), Magic Resistance, Stealthy (16).
Act II: The Haunted Ruins
Awards : Glory 140, Wisdom 70.
Two days after the battle with the Arimaspians - the
The Large Size of the Egregor reflects the
fullness of which include many dangerous mountain collective nature of the entity and the impression
passes and difficult climbs - the heroes reach the that each Egregor is an entire cohort of distinct
edge of the great, bottomless chasm that separates beings. This Size gives the Egegor a Hits Total of
the ruins from the rest of the mountain. 18 but does not allow it to make more than one
Life-Energy Drain attack per round, which is its
A poorly-fashioned, rotting rope bridge spans the only form of attack.
80-foot gap, running alongside the unusable
remains of what once must have been a glorious Like all Intangible creatures, Egregors cannot be
ivory bridge. "Oil your swords! Oil your swords!" harmed by mundane weapons, unless these have
cries the Oracle Owl as it races overhead, away been coated with the Oil of Icelus.
from the ruins and back toward the hills whence
came the heroes.

12
Once the heroes have all crossed the bridge, the
Egregors - if not already destroyed - will retreat into
the chasm. If any portion of them the remain, the
ghostly entities will return to attack the adventurers
when they attempt to cross the bridge on their way
back after they have recovered the chains and fire
of Prometheus from the ruins.

The
e Blasted Caves Of The Heretics
Just past the point where the rope bridge reaches
the far side of the chasm, a wide ledge (Area 1 on The latest in Skeleton fashion
the map) spreads to the north and south. All that
remains of Prometheus’ Temple are a series of
caverns dug into the rubblee and raw stone of the Chained Skeleton
mountainside. A single opening yawns in the rock
face, an unexpectedly warm breeze issues forth Taxonomy : Animate
from it.
Size : Medium
Ferocity : Aggressive
Area 1: The Chained Skeletons
Cunning : Average
Scattered about Area 1 are countless twisted and
Mystique : Weird
misshapen human skeletons, each draped in heavy
chains. As the heroes approach the entrance to the Movement : 60’
caverns, these skeletons rise, and unnatural fire in
their hollow eye sockets and their chains clanking Initiative : 13
and clattering. The skeletons immediately engage Melee Attack : +2
the heroes in combat.
Damage : 1d6 (crushing)
The number of skeletons involved
volved in this battle can Defense Class : 15
be varied as needed by the Maze Master, but
should number no fewer than 2 per hero. There are Hits Total : 8
more than enough bones and chains in this area to Detection / Evasion : 0
provide well over 10 actual skeletons per hero - so
feel free to keep the dead rising if the heroes are too Mystic Fortitude : +2
full of hubris.
Special Abilities : Crushing
rushing Damage (chains,
The only weapons of these Skeletons are their 1d6), Fearsome, Grapple (chains, Might 16),
Mindless.
heavy chains, which they use to ensnare, strangle
and constrict their opponents : in game terms, they Awards : Glory 50, Wisdom 20.
have the same characteristics as standard
Skeletons (see the Creature e Compendium p 105),
plus the Grapple and Crushing Damage special
abilities, which are their only form of attack. Their Area 3: Too Many Bones
chains also prevent them from Charging into Battle.
Battle
See below for their detailed characteristics. This room is filled with numerous piles of bones and
chains, which promptly animate into skeletons like
those encountered in Area 1. There isn't much to
Area 2: Lair of the Fallen be said
id for the victims of Zeus' wrath other than that
they are largely consistent in their hatred of all who
This cavern
rn reeks of excrement and animal odor. It serve any other than Prometheus.
is occupied by a dozen or so descendants of the
few Prometheans who survived the wrath of Zeus.
These pathetic creatures have long since lost their
Area 4: A Pit!
humanity and are little more than feral cannibals.
This area contains a pit trap (see M&M Companion,
Use the statistics for Degenerate Men M (see
p. 29), constructed to capture anyone or anything
Creature Compendium,, p. 34). These creatures fight
that
hat approaches Area 5. This is a Falling /
to the death, gleefully biting and ripping at the flesh
Entrapment trap (1d6 damage)
damage to anyone unlucky
of any fallen heroes with wild abandon and no
enough to fall into it. This trap can be avoided,
concern for the others in their number.
detected and disarmed as described in the Traps
rules. Its Concealment Rating is 15 and its Danger
The largest of these Fallen Prometheans
metheans wears a
Rating is 20. Nasty
sty Maze Masters may consider
Ring of Good Fortune (see Maze Masters Guide, Guide
adding stakes to the bottom of the pit, for a Direct
p. 43) as a sign of his status as leader of this tribe of
Damage effect of +1d6 (total 2d6 damage).
foul flesh-eaters.

13
black chains of the earth
adventure map

14
 Orlos
Taxonomy : Spirit
Description : See main text.
Size : Medium
Ferocity : Dangerous
Cunning : Clever
Mystique : Eldritch
Movement : 60’
Initiative : 16
Melee Attack : +4
Damage : see below
Defense Class : 16
Hits Total : 16
Orlos the Mad Immortal
Detection / Evasion : +8 / +6
Mystic Fortitude : +8
Area 5: Lair of the Eternal Priest
Special Abilities : Fearsome, Magic Resistance,
This area serves as the resting place of the high Phase Shifting, Sixth Sense, Soul Rending Shriek,
priest of the Prometheans, Orlos Tegyrius. Stealthy (16), Supernatural Vigor.

Like all great offenders of Zeus, Orlos received a Awards : Glory 120, Wisdom 200.
special punishment. Rather than simply be
destroyed Orlos was cursed to eternal life and Phase Shifting is a limited form of Insubstantiality
bound to the ruins of his cult's temple, forced to live that allows Orlos to vanish at will into the walls of
forever in the knowledge of his defeat. The the caverns and travel to other areas of the ruins in
“immortal” Orlos is completely, irremediably mad this manner. It costs him 1 Hit to activate (with no
and will immediately attack any and all who enter extra cost for reverting back to his fully material
his demesne, using his terrible Soul Rending Shriek form). This special ability adds +10 to his Glory and
(see below). Wisdom awards.

Orlos clearly used to be a man of noble bearing, but Soul Rending Shriek allows Orlos to inflict damage
countless years and the torment of having his life's on others by emitting a terrible, supernatural
work utterly destroyed by the gods have left him piercing scream : this attack occurs during the
twisted into something altogether different. Missile phase, according to Orlos’ Initiative, but
requires no attack roll and affects all beings within
When Zeus decided to punish Orlos for his hubris, earshot. Targets must make a Mystic Fortitude
the king of the gods didn't hold back at all, damning saving roll (target number of 15) or suffer 1d6 Hits
Orlos with the curse of eternal life without the of damage and be unable to move, attack or use
benefit of eternal youth. Orlos now appears as what magic for the rest of the round.
a mummy without bandages might look - his
dry, desiccated skin is stretched tightly across dry, During the next round, characters with a higher
enduring bones. His features are sunken and his Initiative than Orlos (16) will be able to attempt a
eyes burn with a madness and rage that fills missile attack against him (provided their weapon is
onlookers with a terror that chills their very souls. prepared) before he utters a new shriek.
He wears the tattered and faded remnants of the
opulent priestly robes that he affected in centuries Those who cover their ears after the first shriek will
past. He cackles madly in an ancient dialect and suffer no damage (no saving roll needed) from
his words seldom make sense to the sane listener. subsequent shrieks but will obviously be unable to
Wherever he travels within the caverns the aroma attempt any action requiring the use of their hands –
of cloves and lamp oil lingers in the air. which includes all melee or missile attacks, but not
magical ones like Psychic Attack or Divine Wrath
Unlike other creatures found in these ruins, Orlos is (except for Lyrists, who must play their lyre to use
intelligent and canny. He is unable to leave the their magic). This unique ability adds +20 to Orlos’
caverns, but has free mobility within them, thanks to Glory and Wisdom awards.
his unique special ability of Phase Shifting (see his
description below).

15
Area 6: A Light Beneath The Rubble
This cavern has caved in and is completely
impassible. A perception roll against a target
number of 20 should be made for each hero
entering this area. A successful roll allows the
hero(es) to spot a glint of metal just poking out from
beneath an area of the cave in . This metal is the
blade of a Sword of the Underworld. This mythic
weapon can be recovered if noticed and might well
prove useful a little further into the caves.

Area 7: A Web Of Troubles

This area is thick with spider webs, and seems
much cooler than any of the surrounding caves.
Heroes may be allowed a detection roll (see Players
Manual, p. 45) to notice the two deadly Cave
Spiders (Creature Compendium, p. 49) who occupy
this room. Maze Masters should be sure to take the
spiders' Stealthy (14) into account when making this
check. Their poison causes death in 1d6 rounds.

Should the heroes survive this encounter and want

to push deeper into this cave, they will find that the
passages to the East (towards Area 8) and West
(towards Area 6) have been webbed-over by the
spiders to such a degree that a Feat of Strength
(see Players Manual, p. 44) is required to pass
through to those areas.
The Last of the Promethean Golems

Area 8: The Sleeping Flame

The floor of this cavern crunches underfoot, as Promethean Golem
loose gravel slips and pottery shards crack and
crumble. As the heroes enter more deeply into this Taxonomy : Animate
area they begin to see clay statues human bodies
lining the edges of the cave. Each of these is Size : Medium
incomplete, though, missing an arm here, a head Ferocity : Dangerous
there, and so on. The damage to the forms lessens
the further onward the heroes press. Cunning : Average
Mystique : Eldritch
At the far end of the cave stands one perfect statue.
Its form is exquisite and its features bring to mind Movement : 60’
even fairest Apollo. A small flame can be seen to
Initiative : 12
flicker through a grated door into its chest, where its
heart would beat were it alive. Melee Attack : +4

This statue is the last remaining Promethean Damage : 1d6 (fists)

Golem. The fire within its chest is the last remnant Defense Class : 22
of the fire that Prometheus stole from the gods and
brought to man. If the heroes attempt to open the Hits Total : 16
door into the statue's chest, it animates and will Detection / Evasion : 0
attack the party ferociously. It will not willingly allow
the fire to be removed under any circumstances. If Mystic Fortitude : +8
the heroes attempt to move the statue without Special Abilities : Grapple (Might 16),
tampering with the fire, it remains inanimate and
Crushing Damage (after successful grapple),
can be hauled from this place back to Argos.
Mindless, Invulnerability, Magic Resistance,
Regeneration, Supernatural Vigor.
If the Promethean Golem is reduced to zero Hits, it
is incapacitated but the Flame will continue to burn Awards : Glory 100, Wisdom 60.
in its chest… unless it is extinguished by the
characters, in which case the Flame will be lost to The Flame burning in its chest is the source of
the world forever and the Promethean Golem will the Golem’s Regeneration powers.
dissolve into dust.

16
 If combat with the Charonts lasts for more than 5
rounds,, Orlos Tegyrius (see Area 10) will, if he has
not yet been defeated by the heroes, arrive to assist
in the defense of the artifacts.

Area 11: Restless Shadows

A fire burns atop a rough stone altar that stands in
the middle of this room, casting eerie shadows
sh upon
the walls. Amongst these shadows are Shadows
(see Creature Compendium, p. 103), 1 per hero
inside this chamber. These malevolent things
attack only after 75% of the heroes have entered
the room. They fight to the death, but for each hero
that falls so too does a shadow cease to exist.
- Wings in the Dark - that’s us !
If the heroes think to douse the fire that burns upon
the altar, all of the shadows vanish immediately.
Area 9: Wings In The Dark The creatures will not return in the presence of a
different light source.
This large chamber has high ceilings that extend far
beyond any light source the heroes might have.
The floor here is covered in guano and is slick to Area 12: The Hidden Temple
the point of imposing a -2
2 to EDC for all grounded
parties engaging in combat. This
is area is clearly more than a simple cavern. It
seems more like a temple that was swallowed
A swarm of Giant Bats (see Creature whole by the earth itself. Broken marble columns,
Compendium,, p. 47) makes its home in this area, benches and other structures form most of the walls
hence the guano. The bats attack promptly, but flee of this space. A single shaft of sunlight filters down
to their perches if seriously wounded. There are up from
m a fissure in the distant ceiling.
to two bats per hero in this encounter.
As the heroes enter this area, one of the columns
animates and becomes a Living Caryatid (see
Area 10: Black Chains Of The Earth Creature Compendium,, p. 70). This monstrosity
seeks to enact the vengeance of all the slain
This large cavern is all that remains of the once-
once Prometheans upon any breathing creature
cr within its
great trove of artifacts that the
e Cult of Prometheus sight. It will focus single-mindedly
mindedly on any whose
gathered. The walls of this cave are adorned with primary allegiance is to Zeus first, following on to
silver and gold chalices, great woven tapestries other beings only after those who cleave to the
depicting the deeds of Prometheus, s, his punishment destroyer have been eliminated.
and the discovery by the Cult of the promethean
chains high atop a storm-wracked
wracked peak.
peak
Area 13: Familiar Foes
The few remaining treasures found here include the
This area serves as home to a second tribe of
following items:
Fallen Prometheans (see Area 2 p 13 for more
* Chains of Prometheus information). Only 8 of these creatures remain, two
recently having been lost to the bats in Area 9.
* Beta Ray Wand
* 3-dose phial of Cocytus Water Like their counterparts in Area 2, these Fallen
* Full flask of Medea's Ointment Prometheans attack instantly and with an insatiable
bloodlust.The leader of this tribe wears a Ring of
* Wand of Fire Mystic Lore (see Maze Masters Guide,
Guide p. 43) as
* Ring of the Elements: Fire his emblem of authority.

For details on these items, see

ee the Maze Masters
Guide (chapter IV).
Area 14: A Ring Of Stones

This area is guarded over by Charonts (see the This barren hole in the earth is empty save for
Creature Compendium, p. 27) - the spirits of the multiple shapes laid out in stones across its floor.
This chamber has served as the Fallen
triumvirate of priests who found and retrieved the
Chains of Prometheus. Their number should be Prometheans' gathering space, where they have
equal to 50% of the party’s
ty’s size, rounded up (eg if attempted to recapture some faint glimmer of the
there are five heroes, there will be three Charonts). knowledge their ancestors once held. To date the
best they have accomplished are a few simple
These creatures will defend their hoard with all their
might, wielding their Hammers of Hades like words poorly produced by laying out stones to form
demons possessed. letters. The words Fire,, Sin and Chain are
recognizable, but nothing else can be discerned.

17
Hidden amongst these stone words the heroes may Anchored off the coast next to the heroes' ship
be unlucky enough to come across a Rocky stands a proud Atlanean War Galley. The galley is
Python (see Creature Compendium, p. 95) under the command of Pylos of Atlantis, an
masquerading as an Omicron. The Rocky Python, Atlantean Noble (see the Creature Compendium,
naturally, will attack the heroes and fight until p. 9). Like most Atlantean Nobles, Pylos is
destroyed. accompanied by a contingent of Atlantean War
Slaves (see the Creature Compendium, p. 9); their
number should be equal to 150% of the characters
Area 15: The Manticore's Ledge (round up): thus, if there are three characters in the
party, there will be five Atlantean War Slaves.
This is a ledge that looks out to far mountains and
down upon the endless chasm below. It serves as Pylos and his War Slaves have been sent to take
the sometimes home of a Manticore (see Creature the Chains of Prometheus and any other artifacts
Compendium, p. 73) that dwells in these mountains. recovered by the heroes in the name of Atlantis.
If the heroes are already seriously wounded or Pylos' arrogance prevents him from giving up the
weakened, the Maze Master should simply decide fight even if the tide of battle turns against him. He
that the Manticore is not here at the moment. If, on will taunt the heroes throughout the battle,
the other hand, the characters have been describing how their precious Mythika will soon be
exceptionally lucky so far (or , then the fell creature despoiled by the might of Atlantis just as it was in
should definitely be around… Alternatively, the ancient times.
Maze Master may decide to treat the Manticore as a
“wandering monster”, present on a 1d6 roll equal to Aeson the Traitor - whether he accompanied the
or lower than the highest level in the party (ie if the heroes to the caverns or was left at the ship - shows
most powerful hero in the group is level 3, the his true allegiance in this battle. He fights alongside
Manticore shows up on a roll of 1-3). Pylos and the War Slaves, alternately cursing the
heroes and imploring them to surrender and join
If the Manticore is indeed present, it attacks without with Atlantis.
mercy but will flee if it takes more than 50% of its
Hits in damage. Aeson is Enslaved by Pylos (see Players Manual, p.
40) and if Pylos is killed he will break free of the
Further, the passageway that leads to this area is Enslavement and rejoin the heroes - if they accept
too small for the Manticore to pass through, so the him. At the end of the battle, a freed Aeson weeps
heroes should be able to retreat back towards area and confesses that it was he who revealed the
14 if they choose to flee in the face of battle with the heroes' mission to the Atlantean.
terrible beast.

A battered Breastplate of Ares (see Maze Masters

Guide, p. 37) can be found on this ledge, along with
Aftermath!
the not-very-recent remains of its former owner and
If the heroes defeat Pylos they will find themselves
occupant. in possession of an Atlantean War Galley (see
Maze Masters Guide, p. 45). This is a good thing,
since the are unlikely to have the crew necessary to
Act III: The Enemy Revealed sail home normally. This amazing creation may
also serve the heroes well as they prepare to deal
After facing the perils of the Caverns, the heroes with the approaching forces of Atlantis.
must make their way back down from the
mountains, across Arcadia and back to their ship. The heroes should now make their way back to
But nothing is ever that easy. If you are feeling Argos to deliver the Promethean Chains and the
particularly cruel, the Manticore from Area 15 could Fire of Prometheus to the House of Athena. The
easily be circling Area 1 - looking for a meal if it was priests were never very clear about just what
not encountered or seeking to finish the fight if it purposes these artifacts would serve. But the
was. Please note, though, that this is not required to heroes should know by now that priests have their
happen. Only throw these challenges at the heroes own ways of approaching things.
if they are of sufficient strength to face them.
The adventure can resolve quickly back to Argos or
There's still one more major battle to go, and we can be drawn out into a veritable odyssey across
wouldn't want Mythika to succumb to the enemy just countless Mysterious Islands at the whim of the
because of a random Manticore, now would we? Maze Master.

A Battle On The Beach The third (and final?) installment of Against Atlantis!
will appear in the next issue of Minotaur. Until then,
Upon reaching the site where they landed, the Maze Masters should feel free to send their heroes
heroes are greeted by the dismal sight of a battle on on other quests and expeditions to keep them busy
the shore - a battle survived by very few of the and hopefully earn them enough experience to
heroes' crew. reach a suitable "Save Mythika From Atlantis"
power level - likely at or around 5th level.

18
 Against Atlantis ! (Part Three)

wrath of the sea witch

An epic adventure for a group of high-level heroes (level 5-6) by Andrew Trent

Maze Master’s Introduction

This adventure is the third and final installment in a
series known as Against Atlantis! Within this series
noble heroes will partake in several adventures
culminating in a direct standoff against the advance
guard of an Atlantean invasion force. This
adventure is suitable for a party of heroes of at least
level 5 and presumes that your players are already
united in their quest for adventure. Though not
strictly necessary, it will be helpful if at least some
of the heroes completed AA1 & AA2, which were
presented in Minotaur n° 2 and 3.

Maze Master’s Note : If your players are veterans

of the adventure Laodice’s Lair from MQ 1 you
might want to use Barros "One Eye" (the ship’s
captain from that adventure) for the various sailing
portions associated with one or more of the
adventures in the Against Atlantis! series.
The beautiful Psamanthe
Otherwise, any approach you wish to take to
providing your players with a method of sea travel
will work just fine. Throughout the years various calamities befell the
King of Thena and his two eldest sons, placing a
still mourning Anaxis on the throne.
The Sea Witch and the Ragged King
Psamanthe was ever at his side, seeking to comfort
Long centuries ago, at the dawn of the Age of her love and, at the same time, hoping that he
Magic, a beautiful Elementalist named Psamathe would at last return her affections. Instead, Anaxis
travelled about Mythika in the company of Anaxis went slowly mad, haunted by visions of dead
Iasos, a young Minean noble third in line to be ruler Callianessa, convinced that her death had been
of Thena. Over the course of their adventures orchestrated by war mongering factions within
Psamanthe fell deeply in love with Anaxis and she Heraklia who felt that their relationship would lead
grew ever more jealous and possessive of the hero. to a noble of Thenan lineage one day sitting on the
Heraklian throne.
Sadly, Psamanthe's stormy affections were
unrequited, and despite her charms and wiles King Anaxis, who had come to be known throughout
Anaxis remained true to both his duty to Thena and Mythika as "The Ragged King" because of his
to his heart, which belonged to the third daughter of precarious mental state, eventually lost his mind
the king of Heraklia, Callianessa the Fair. completely and began a disastrous war against
Heraklia. Psamanthe served her king throughout
Slowly, Psamanthe devised a plan by which she the war, doing her best to shield him from harm, all
hoped to win the love of Anaxis forever. At first, the while still endeavoring to win his love.
Psamanthe sought to use her powers to drive a soft
wedge between Anaxis and Callianessa. When Anaxis was mortally wounded in a great
battle Psamanthe grew bold and openly declared
But each plot failed and Psamanthe grew ever more her love for him. In one last moment of clarity
wrathful and less gentle in her approach. In time Anaxis chided the elementalist, telling her plainly
she grew so aggressive that her efforts killed that he had never loved her, nor could he have. His
Callianessa outright. She was subtle even in this, duty to the noble house of Iasos demanded that he
though, and none - least of all Anaxis - suspected never take a wielder of magic for a bride.
her of the crime.

19
 Origin Of The Sea Witch
It is left to the individual
dual Maze Master how
much, if any, his players (as well as the
population of Mythika at large) know of the
story of the Sea Witch and the Ragged King.
The key events of the story took place long ago
and may well be lost to time. But the Sea Witch
is a veryy real and present danger, so her
unnaturally long life may have kept at least
some of the story alive as well.

More likely, the story has turned and twisted

over the centuries and countless conflicting
legends surround her "birth." Some brief
possiblities include:

a) The Sea Witch came to Mythika from

Atlantis, where she was a widowed queen.

b) The Sea Witch, who is the daughter of

Poseidon and a human woman, was driven
mad by Nereids who grew jealous of the god's
love for her and her mother.

c) The Sea Witch is the spurned lover of a great

Umbrian ruler.

And so on. Maze Masters should feel free to

give as much or as little detail regarding her
The fearsome Sea Witch !
origin as they feel will help their players get the
most enjoyment from the adventure. And yes, if
Then, realizing the mistakes he had made and one truly
uly wished to engineer a Redemption of
finally understanding the true cause of Callianessa's Psamathe variation on the adventure that
death, Anaxis died, cursing Psamanthe's name to follows one could easily do so.
all who could hear as he did.

Psamanthe, now revealed as the murderer of

Callianessa and the cause of the brutal war Maze Mastering AA3
between Thena and Heraklia, fled to the West. Her
hatred of all things Minean festered even as her Maze Masters should feel free to have as much
powers grew. In time, she ceased to be Psamanthe or as little time as desired pass between the
at all, her rage and hatred and dark powers turning events of AA2 (Black
Black Chains of the Earth) and
her into something else entirely. She became the beginning of this new adventure.
simply the Sea Witch - a terrible force of
destruction, casting a long shadow in the light of the If your players did not take part in AA2 then
setting sun. treat this scenario as if someone else had
successfully returned with the Promethean
Years passed, and the Sea Witch raged. Decades Chains, the Fire of Prometheus and the
passed, and the Sea Witch plotted countless ways Atlantean War Galley that served
serve as rewards in
to destroy the land of the three cities for the that adventure. If, on the other hand, your
indignities she suffered at the hands of their
t players took part in that adventure but
Ragged King. somehow failed to return with the chains and
the fire, be aware that there will be some
Centuries passed and the Sea Witch sought allies additional challenges that they must overcome
to deliver her wrath. in this adventure.

And now, a small group of ambitious Atlantean In

n all cases Maze Masters should complicate or
Nobles, leading an army of The Sea Witch's handwave situations as fits their group's needs
making, stands ready to crush Minean civilization. and play times. Wherever you see an
opportunity to extend or compress the action,
There is little thatt can prevent the war that is take advantage of the flexibility of the
coming to Mythika. The Sea Witch's power is adventure's design to maximize the fun for you
immense, some might say unstoppable. And yet, and your players.
the Gods know of ways that even the most
unstoppable juggernaut can be restrained…

20
 Lighthouse in the ruined city of Nes with the Fire of
Prometheus. Once so lit, the power of the
lighthouse will ward off the dark forces that are in
league with the Atlanteans and the Sea Witch,
greatly reducing
ducing the antagonists' strength.

The heroes are also informed that the Chains of

Prometheus are to be used to bind the Sea Witch
herself. So bound her magic will be imprisoned as
well, leaving her unable to enhance and support the
Atlantean forces, makingng it much more likely that
the armies of Mythika will be able to triumph.

No Galley, No Fire, No Chains ?

No Galley
A Priestess of Athena using the fabled Sextant of
Eryximachos (See ? We did use the illo in the end !) If somehow the heroes who took part in AA2
did not recover (or have subsequently lost) the
Background Information Atlantean War Galley, simply replace it with
wit the
Titan's Grace,, a small but sturdy Argosean
Warning : The information in this section is for the ship with a skeleton crew lead by Captain
Maze Master’s eyes only. Players do not Syagros of Thena, for the galley.
necessarily
essarily know the following, though they may be The crew of the Titan's Grace is limited to the
aware of some of it if they completed AA1: The barest number of men needed to man the ship,
Wisdom of Stones (Minotaur n°2) and AA2: Black and as such these sailors and their captain are
Chains of the Earth (Minotaur n°3). unable to assist the heroes in any tasks that
involve going ashore. Captain Syagros is
The priestesses of Athena in Argos once again fiercely defensive of his men and knows that
seek brave souls to help defend the whole of should a single one of them be lost then the
Mythika from a burgeoning cloud of disaster. voyage is doomed to failure.

The call has gone out for heroes who are stout of The ship has all the usual characteristics
characte of a
heart and sturdy of spirit to sail to the west to round ship (see Players Manual,
Manual p 42-43),
confront an overly ambitious band of Atlantean except for its exceptional Fortune bonus of +3,
Nobles who, together with various nefarious allies,
all which reflects the ship’s own good luck (the
seek to subjugate the free peoples of Mythika to the Titan’s Grace has already weathered quite a
will of that distant, malevolent kingdom. few perilous voyages) as well as the discreet
attention of Athena
a herself.
After the various surviving heroes returned from
Arcadia, bearing the Promethean Chains and the No Fire
Fire of Prometheus aboard a captured Atlantean
War Galley, the soothsayers in the House of Athena If the heroes who took part in AA2 failed to
set about using the fabled Sextant of Eryximachos retrieve the Fire of Prometheus things are going
to determine where best to strike against the to be difficult for them.
Atlantean forces.
Without the fire to re-light
light the Great Lighthouse
After a number of days the visions became clear of Xandare, the final battle will feature a
and it was determined that the heroes should set tremendous number of spirit opponents who
saill for the island of Xandare, three weeks west of would otherwise be held at bay by the power of
Argos, deep in the Umbrian Sea. the lighthouse. Heroes and armies alike will
find themselves greatly outnumbered.
Via a different course, the amassed armies of
Argos, Heraklia and Thena will sail for Xandare as No Chains
well, where they will engage the Atlantean forces in
a desperate battle for the fate of Mythika. If the heroes who took part in AA2 failed to
return with the Promethean Chains, this
The heroes are entrusted once again with the adventure
enture will prove all but impossible.
Promethean Chains and the Fire of Prometheus
that were rescued from Arcadia. Without the chains to bind the Sea Witch and
keep her foul magics in check, her
To ensure that the Atlantean forces do not succeed enhancements to the Atlantean forces will
in their plot to conquer Mythika, the heroes will need make them almost unstoppable.
to visit
isit the island of Xandare and re-light
re the Great

21
Act I : To Sail To War
After a reasonable time has been allotted for the
heroes to procure any supplies they feel that they
need, they should set sail westward towards their
destiny. Throughout Argos the heroes are
recognized and treated with respect and
graciousness.

Note, though, that the heroes cannot recruit any

additional sailors or warriors to accompany them
since all able-bodied men and women are already
committed to the forces that will directly engage the
Atlanteans at Xandare.

Once underway, trouble begins. The Sea Witch is

well-aware of the heroes and their mission, and she
seeks to stop them before they can arrive at
Xandare and attempt to turn the tide of the battle. Deadly Horns of the Sea : the Quinotaur

Her powers are divided among the strains of raising Attack of the Quinotaurs
the strength of the Atlantean force, summoning and
controlling the spirits who will supplement those Several days' worth of smooth sailing are brought to
forces and trying to interfere with the heroes' an end when (1d6+3 days after the Attack of the
mission. It is this very division of power that Roc), the Sea Witch brings forth a trio of
prevents the Sea Witch from crushing the heroes Quinotaurs (Creature Compendium, p. 91) to deal
outright. with the heroes. The Quinotaurs' sole aim is to
destroy the heroes utterly. They will fight to the
Using her magical and elemental powers, the Sea death and will not flee under any circumstances.
Witch constantly attempts to whip up a severe
storm to dispatch the heroes. To reflect this, the
Maze Master should add 5 to any and all weather Attack of the Fomoroi
rolls (Players Manual, p. 42) made for the voyage.
If the heroes have survived the first two encounters,
In addition to her weather manipulation, the Sea the Sea Witch is prepared (after 1d6+2 days) to
Witch sends the following foes are set against the bring forth her most dangerous allies, a pair of
heroes during the voyage to Xandare. Fomoroi (see Fomoros, Creature Compendium, p.
42).
Attack of the Roc The Fomoroi seek to sink the ship, extinguishing the
Fire of Prometheus forever. These Fomoroi are,
Some several days (1d6+4, if you like) out from like the Roc and Quinotaurs before them, driven by
Argos, the heroes' ship is beset by a Roc (Creature the will of the Sea Witch. The Maze Master may
Compendium, p. 94). choose to have these foul creatures fight as long as
desired.
The Roc seeks to destroy the heroes' ship with well-
placed Crushing Missiles. If possible, the Roc will
also try to steal the Promethean Chains by seizing Act II : The Lighthouse Of Nes
any hero who is carrying them and flying off to its
remote island lair a few short hours sailing distance On the western side of the island of Xandare lies
away, just at the edge of the horizon. the ruined city of Nes.
If the chains are lost in this fashion, the heroes may Once a great kingdom that stood as a bulwark
adjust their course and attempt to rescue their against various invaders from the West, Nes is now
comrade and the chains. The heroes will only have little more than a shattered relic from a distant time.
2 full days to accomplish this side trek before they
must return to their trip to Xandare. The Great Lighthouse, which used to guide Minean
ships home as well as serve as a bold warning to all
Any further delay will result in the force of Atlantis those who sought to enter into the realm of the
engaging the forces of Mythika without having been Land of the Three Cities with harm on their minds,
weakened by the heroes. stands unbroken against the sky, its light long
extinguished.
The Roc, driven to this brazen attack by the magic
of the Sea Witch, will cease its attacks after 7 full Here, amidst these ruins, the heroes must make
rounds or after it has sustained 25 points of their way to the top of the Lighthouse and re-ignite
damage. The Sea Witch does not have enough the lamp with a flame more powerful than any in the
power to force the Roc to fight until death. world, the Fire of Prometheus.

22
 Wrath of the Sea Witch – Adventure Map

The Ruins of Nes

Check out http://paratime.ca/cartography/ for more fantastic maps by Tim Hartin !

23
Landing at Nes
The waters of the bay above which Nes sits are
dark and still. The heroes' ship glides silently
towards the docks.

As the ship lands, though, the waters churn with

hellish life, as a dozen or more Sons of Dagon
(Creature Compendium, p. 106) spring from
beneath the waves to engage the heroes before
they can set foot on the firm ground of the city.

The Ruins of Nes

So, where is this blasted Plaza, anyway ?
From the docks where the heroes make landfall it is
a short climb up a gently sloping and unguarded 4. Unlikely Allies
road to the city of Nes itself. Getting from the
periphery of the city to the Lighthouse is an Kypris and Aglaia, a pair of Alseids (see Creature
altogether different, and more dangerous, journey. Compendium, p, 5) make their home here, guarding
the long-dry well of Nes. So long as the heroes
The streets of Nes are mazelike and strewn with remain respectful, both of the Alseids as well as
giant rocks and rubble, as well as numerous guards their city, these two spirits will actively seek to aid
and dangers put in place by the Sea Witch and her the heroes on the remainder of the journey.
Atlanean allies. Nothing would please the Alseids more than to see
the Sea Witch bound and removed from their
Refer to the map Ruins Of Nes (see previous domain.
page) for this portion of the adventure.

5. Giant Slug Attack !

1. The Sleepless Guard
Nes has been abandoned for so long that the
The primary entrance into Nes from the docks stranger forms of life on Xandare have begun to
below is guarded by 5 tireless Midas Men (see encroach upon it. This area is home to a Giant
Creature Compendium, p. 75). Slug (Creature Compendium, p. 48), that attacks
any who enter this portion of the city.
These Animates stand ready to attack any who
enter the ruins of Nes.
6. Plaza of the Sirens
2. The Sleeping Guard A small force (equal to the size of the party) of
Sirens (Creature Compendium, p. 105) makes its
As a backup to the Midas Men (The Sleepless home in this area, awaiting the coming battle
Guard, above) the Atlanteans have stationed a against the Mythikan army. Most of the Sirens are
force of 10 Atlantean War Slaves (Creature away at any given time, aerially surveying the island
Compendium, p. 9) here. in advance of the battle. Those that remain fiercely
attack all who encroach upon their territory.
Unless the battle in Area 1 grew particularly noisy,
these guards are found lounging about lazily.
7. Plaza of the Crabs
3. Plaza of the Temples Around the base of the lighthouse the Sea Witch
has gathered three Giant Crabs (Creature
This area used to be home to multiple temples Compendium, p. 47), summoned from the depths of
when Nes was a thriving city. the Umbrian Sea. These ravenous creatures attack
relentlessly.
Scattered amongst the ruins are one or two Living
Caryatids (one if there are four heroes or less, two
if there are five or more – see Creature 8. Inside The Lighthouse
Compendium, p. 70) that will attack any who enter
this area. The ground floor of the lighthouse, which contains
the winding marble stairs that led to its pinnacle, is
Note: If the heroes are accompanied by Kypris and occupied by K'aanzere, an unspeakable Crab
Aglaia (see Unlikely Allies, below) then the Living Demon from beyond the sea of space. This eldritch
Caryatids do not attack. horror exists solely to devour the flesh and souls of
men.

24
 Facing K’aanzere the Crab Demon from Beyond
(illustration by M.J. Walton)

A Difficult Climb
K'aanzere
Crab Demon from Beyond A winding marble stairway cut into the exterior of
the monolith that is the Lighthouse of Nes leads to
Taxonomy : Monster the top, where the heroes must ignite the flame with
Description : Absolutely unspeakable (see illo). the Fire of Prometheus.

Size : Large From platforms and landings at different levels, a

Ferocity : Dangerous number (150% of the party) of Atlantean War
Slaves (Creature Compendium, p. 9) hurl javelins
Cunning : Average at the heroes as they climb.
Mystique : Eldritch
These small groups will enter into melee combat as
Movement : 60’ they are reached.
Initiative : 14
Melee Attack : +6 The Atlantean Guard
Damage : 2d6 (pincers)
The long stairway reaches a new level at last, but
Defense Class : 20 peace is not to be found on this floor.
Hits Total : 30
Here, directly beneath the Lighthouse's lamp stands
Detection / Evasion : 0 Tereus and Taxiles, Atlantean Nobles and a group
Mystic Fortitude : +4 of Atlantean War Slaves (see Creature
Compendium, p. 9, for both) equal to twice the size
Special Abilities : Fearsome, Mindless,
of the party.
Grapple (Might = 20), Natural Armor,
Regeneration (2 Hits per battle round),
This group will fight to the death in order to keep
Supernatural Vigor.
the heroes from reaching the top of the Lighthouse.
Awards : Glory 320, Wisdom 40.
To Tame The Witch
Once the heroes have successfully entered the
Lighthouse and defeated K'aanzere, they must still High atop the Lighthouse, where the wind howls
ascend the winding marble stairs to the lamp, which and a light rain has begun to fall (making the area
must be lit with the fire of Prometheus. But things dangerously slippery) the lamp of the Lighthouse
are seldom as simple as one would hope: there are sits dark as night. As the heroes approach to light
a few more obstacles along the way. it, though, the Sea Witch herself appears and
engages the heroes in battle…

25
As a result of her eldritch powers of the forces of
the sea and sky, the heroes will be unable to light The Sea Witch
the lamp until they have dealt with the Sea Witch,
either by defeating her outright or by successfully
binding her with the Promethean Chains.
Chains The
heroes must defeat the Witch in order to light the
lamp.

Binding the Sea Witch with the Promethean Chains

without defeating her in combat will not be easy, but
it is possible. To bind the Sea Witch one character
must succeed in a Wrestling attack (Players (
Manual,, p. 26) against her in the same round –
which will be no mean feat given her prodigious Taxonomy : Monster
Defense Class. Size : Medium

If the Sea Witch does not manage to break free Ferocity : Deadly
from the grapple (as per the usual wrestling rules), Cunning : Crafty
her attacker will then be able to bind her with the
Promethean Chains. Up to three characters may m Mystique : Unearthly
attempt to grapple the Sea Witch in the same battle Movement : 60’ (240’ cruising underwater)
round ; if several of them succeed, she will have to
break free from each attack separately, thereby Initiative : 18
increasing the chances of the heroes.
Melee Attack : +6
Once bound, she will shriek and scream and curse Damage : special
the heroes with
ith foul words and dark oaths (though
no magic is actually wrought) as she writhes in pain Defense Class : 25
under the weight of the chains. Hits Total : 20

Slowly, she begins to revert to her original (and Detection / Evasion : +10 / +8
beautiful) human form and begs for mercy; Mystic Fortitude : +10
however, anyone freeing her from the chains
c will be
viciously attacked by her as she immediately reverts Special Abilities : Amphibious, Cruise (240’),
to her monstrous form. Elemental Magic (see below), Fearsome,
Grapple (tentacle-like
like arms, Might = 16),
If she is left in the chains and not released, she will Invulnerability, Magic ic Resistance, Poison
eventually fade into nothingness, at last defeated (instant death, kiss – see below), Regeneration
and at last at peace. (1 Hit / round), Sixth Sense, Supernatural Vigor.
Awards : Glory 360 , Wisdom 270. See also
With the Lighthouse's lantern glowinging brightly with the section on Glory and Other Rewards at the
the Fire of Prometheus and the Sea Witch defeated, end of the scenario.
the Atlanteans' chance for victory in the Great Battle
of Xandare diminishes significantly. Elemental Magic : The Sea Witch has the
powers of an Elementalist with a Mastery of +6,
Maze Masters whose players are unlikely to want to a Mystic Strength of 18 and a total of 24 Power
play out the battle may skip to the Aftermath
Afterm section points. Her elements of choice are Air and
below to sum up the outcome of the battle. Groups Water, with Water, of course, as her primary
who would like to play out the battle - or any group specialty. This ability adds 40 to her base Glory
that has not successfully relit the Lighthouse and award and
nd 200 to her Wisdom award.
chained the Sea Witch - should continue to Act III.
Kiss of Death : In melee combat, the Sea
The Sea Witch, who began her life as a beautiful Witch’s only real weapon is her deadly
human maiden, has grown so twisted and foul in poisonous kiss but she can only attempt to kiss
her appearance that she is beyond terrifying to the an opponent whom she has successfully
sight of men. She retains her beautiful face, but her Grappled (don’t forget that grappling attacks
body is now a misshapen parody of her former always occur afterter all other melee attacks). A
grace, with a bloated belly, weed-encrusted
weed Grappled victim who fails to break free will not
squamous skin and grotesque tentacles where her be able to avoid the Witch’s deadly kiss (since
hands used to be. She is a powerful user of he is immobilized) and will be instantly killed
elemental magic (she was once a great elementalist unless he makes a Physical Vigor roll against a
focused on Water & Air) but through dark pacts with target number of 15. If the victim
vic survives, the
unspeakable forces she has developed other Witch will try to maintain her hold to kiss hima
powers which have irremediably twisted her body gain on the next round but this prevents her
as well as her soul. from using any other form of attack.

26
 Defeating the Sea Witch Resolving the Battle
The goal, as you’ll recall, is to bind the Sea The results of the battle, if it is being played out,
Witch with the Promethean Chains, not to depend entirely upon the actions of the heroes.
defeat her in head-to-head combat. Though Generous Maze Masters may choose to allow
fighting her to the death is certainly possible, it for divine intervention (including Divine
is likely to be a very tough task and one that will Intervention, as detailed in the Players Manual,
almost undoubtedly see the death of several p. 31) if they feel that the tide of battle is turning
heroes. against the heroes and the group is not the sort
to be comfortable with dealing with the kind of
The Sea Witch is not only an extremely tough aftermath that such a defeat will bring.
and deadly opponent, she is also a very crafty Conisdering Athena’s involvement in these
one, able to anticipate all the characters’ moves events, any Divine Intervention called for by a
and tactics and react accordingly. She knows Priestess of Athena will have twice the usual
full-well that the heroes possess the Chains of chances of success.
Prometheus (if they do) and understands the
power the chains would have over her if she Mazes & Minotaurs is, of course, modeled on
were to be bound by them. Therefore, she will sources that frequently see the good guys win
avoid melee combat as much as possible, even when logic says they shouldn't. The
using her Elemental powers to their fullest. Only Greek myth-inspired sources that are the
when (if) she runs out of Power Points - or if the foundation of M&M aren't shy about having the
heroes manage to close in on her despite her Gods step in when needed. Players and Maze
best efforts - will she engage them in combat, Masters should be willing to embrace the same
using her grappling tentacles and lethal kiss. spirit… but see What ? The Bad Guys Won ?
at the end of the scenario for possible ways of
Keep in mind that It should be noted that the turning a defeat into an interesting option.
Sea Witch’s incredibly high Defense Class of
25 makes her almost invulnerable in combat – Once the Battle of Xandare is finished, proceed to
and almost impossible to bind with the Chains the Aftermath! section.
of Prometheus… Clever use of special tactics
such as Subterfuge or Bashing Attack might
slightly improve the heroes’ chances of success The Mythikan Forces
but magic is probably the most effective way to
deal with the Sea Witch. The most useful The Mythikan Forces appear as follows. No
powers here will not be the ones which directly bonuses or penalties for Omens or Oratory (M&M
harm the Sea Witch but those which lower her Companion, p 39) have been included. Maze
Defense Class (such as the Sorcery power of Masters should free to determine the effects of
Confusion – but keep in mind her Mystic those variables prior to beginning the actual battle.
Fortitude of +10 !) or which increase her
opponents’ Melee mod (which also applies to Herealkian Soldiers
wrestling attacks). And of course, there are Combat Factor: 8 Regimental Size: 150
always Divine Intervention… Regimental Strength: 1200
A particularly devious Maze Master might have Thenan Soldiers
the Sea Witch flee to the water if she is close to Combat Factor: 6 Regimental Size: 150
being defeated, cruising away at 240’ per
round. Be aware, though, that the Sea Witch’s Regimental Strength: 900
primary objective is to keep the heroes from
Argosean Archers
relighting the lamp of the Lighthouse with the
Fire of Prometheus, so she will not flee readily. Combat Factor: 6 Regimental Size: 150
Regimental Strength: 900

Centaur Archers
Act III: The Battle of Xandare Combat Factor: 11 Regimental Size: 100
Regimental Strength: 1100
For Maze Masters whose players are the sort to
want to play out epic battles, the following section Amazon Warriors
will allow you to focus on the details of the Battle of
Combat Factor: 8 Regimental Size: 100
Xandare. For Maze Masters whose groups are
NOT the sort who would enjoy such things, skip Regimental Strength: 800
ahead to the Aftermath! section.
Barbarian Warriors
The climactic Battle of Xandare can be simulated Combat Factor: 6 Regimental Size: 100
using the Warfare Rules from the M&M Companion Regimental Strength: 600
(p. 37-43). The following sections present the
armies that will take part in this battle. Total Strength = 5500

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 For the sake of hope and civilization, chaaaarge !!!

The Atlantean Forces If the heroes failed to bind the Sea Witch, her
unearthly powers will have a tremendous effect on
If the heroes succeeded in binding the Sea the strength of the Atlantean forces, supernaturally
Witch, the Atlantean Forces appear as follows: boosting their Combat Factor by +5 each (and even
+10 in the case of the Fomoroi) :
Atlantean War Slaves
Atlantean War Slaves
Combat Factor: 7 Regimental Size: 300
Combat Factor: 12 Regimental Size: 300
Regimental Strength: 2100
Regimental Strength: 3600
Atlantean Nobles
Atlantean Nobles
Combat Factor: 8 Regimental Size: 50
Combat Factor: 13 Regimental Size: 50
Regimental Strength: 400
Regimental Strength: 650
Midas Men
Midas Men
Combat Factor: 11 Regimental Size: 30
Combat Factor: 16 Regimental Size: 30
Regimental Strength: 330
Regimental Strength: 480
Sons Of Dagon
Sons Of Dagon
Combat Factor: 4 Regimental Size: 150
Combat Factor: 9 Regimental Size: 150
Regimental Strength: 600
Regimental Strength: 1350
Sirens
Sirens
Combat Factor: 7 Regimental Size: 100
Combat Factor: 12 Regimental Size: 100
Regimental Strength: 700
Regimental Strength: 1200
If the heroes failed to light the Lighthouse at Nes,
If the heroes failed to light the Lighthouse at Nes,
the following additional VERY POWERFUL forces
the following additional VERY POWERFUL forces
should be included in the Atlantean Army:
should be included in the Atlantean Army:
Fomoroi
Fomoroi
Combat Factor: 28 Regimental Size: 25
Combat Factor: 38 Regimental Size: 25
Regimental Strength: 700
Regimental Strength: 950
Keres
Keres
Combat Factor: 16 Regimental Size: 50
Combat Factor: 21 Regimental Size: 50
Regimental Strength: 800
Regimental Strength: 1050
Total Strength (without Fomoroi & Keres) = 4130 Total Strength (without Fomoroi & Keres) = 7280
Total Strength (with Fomoroi & Keres) = 5630 Total Strength (with Fomoroi & Keres) = 9280

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 What? The Bad Guys Won? The Umbrian Alternative
Oh my. This is an entirely unexpected So your heroes have turned out to be zeroes
outcome. Are you certain the bad guys won? and utterly failed to secure the Chains and Fire
Really? Alas, then dark times indeed lie ahead. of Prometheus, eh? That makes proceeding in
Though the battle was only between an this adventure more than a little difficult. There
advance force from Atlantis and a limited is one alternative, though.
Mythikan army, news of the Mythikan defeat will
spread quickly back to Atlantis. Emboldened by Rather than undertaking the adventure as it is
their success the Atlanteans will launch a full- outlined here, a clever (desperate?) Maze
scale invasion of Mythika, bringing to bear all Master could improvise an expedition to Umbria
their might and magic against the free world. in the hopes of gathering Umbrian forces to
supplement the Mythikan armies. The
Perhaps from this terrible defeat a new, more Umbrians are no fans of Atlantis, so I hear, so
unified-of-purpose Mythika can band together, they might just be able to be convinced to set
lead by a new generation of heroes, and fight aside their differences with the Land of the
back against the Atlantean scourge. Let us just Three Cities long enough to put Atlantis in its
pray that the Sea Witch was defeated, for if she place. For more information on Umbria and its
remains alive and allied with Atlantis, all hope is people, see this issue’s Mythika Gazetteer.
almost certainly lost…

Or is it ? As much as its source material is

about the heroes winning, the truth is that Aftermath
Mazes & Minotaurs is a game, not a work of
fiction. The chances that the heroes will fail in If You Did Not Play Out The Battle
this adventure – either in confronting the Sea
Witch herself or in the Battle of Xandare – are With the Lighthouse relit and the Sea Witch
not small. Maze Masters should only pull as destroyed, the Atlantean forces were easily
many punches as they feel is right. defeated. Mythika is once again safe. The Three
Cities and the major non-Minean peoples have
A loss in the Battle of Xandare doesn’t have to bravely fought against a common foe.
spell the end of Mythika, though it might well
herald the end of the current campaign. Still, For a brief time goodwill and camaraderie will reign.
when one walks out of one room one often Of course, the petty squabbles and rivalries will
walks into another. Consider the example return, they always do. But for now, peace and
campaign setting discussed in the Movies & harmony rule in Mythika.
Minotaurs article in issue 1 of The Minotaur, you
know, the one with the evil empire and the The happy few who made victory possible through
valiant rebels… Hmm, that’s kind of an their bravery and cunning are lauded. Those who
interesting theme, now that I think about it. gave their lives to defend Mythika are
Someone should make a movie (or six) dealing commemorated in song and poem.
with such things.
The heroes themselves may well go on to become
Divine Agents after a series of adventures as grand
as these. Regardless, their names will be known
Glory & Other Rewards across the world.
The Sea Witch, with her various (and very powerful)
Those who would seek to do harm to Mythika will
allies, represents a menace of extreme magnitude,
know of her powerful sons & daughters and will
which could alter the very fate of Mythika. Thwarting
likely think twice before moving against such might.
such a menace should bring each warrior in the
group an extra reward of 500 Glory points, in
addition to any Glory gained during the adventure If You Did Play Out The Battle
itself. Magicians in the group should also receive an
equivalent amount of Wisdom, considering the Thanks to, or perhaps in spite of, the efforts of the
highly mystical nature of the Sea Witch menace. heroes, the Mythikan army has defeated the
expeditionary force from Atlantis.
Such an epic victory should also bring other benefits
to the valiant adventurers – such as the possibility of The heroes will be praised (or cursed) as
becoming Athena’s Divine Agents (see the M&M appropriate to their actions. Maze Masters should
Companion, p 8). Even if they don’t meet these not be shy about allowing successful heroes to
requirements or if Divine Agent status is not part of achieve true legendary status, for playing such a
the Maze Master’s plans for the group, Athena vital role in this battle is surely an epic achievement.
should reward these valorous heroes with one
divine boon in the form of one appropriate item for
each hero (see the M&M Companion, p 11 for a list Andrew Trent (2009)
of mythic items related to Athena).

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